Lavac head

[John Langford]

When I tried "Lavac" in the search function I was asked if I meant "Lava" which I thought was quite humorous in the context of the inquiry. The search suggests that no one has tried to replace the OE head with a Lavac unit. This is the manual toilet that uses a separately located diaphram pump to create a vacuum and thereby empty the head after use. It is reported to use very little water and therefore greatly extend the life of the holding tank while cruising. A number of users have reported great satisfaction with the Lavac. See: http://www.lavac.com/

Is there anyone out that has secretly been enjoying the pleasures of the Lavac who would care to weigh in on this compelling topic?

[Ted Pounds]

I put a Lavac in mine.  I put the electric version in.  I ended up mounting the pump and switch on a piece of starboard that was mounted to the bulkhead behind (outboard) the toilet.  What I liked was the simplicity of operation.  The design allows you to leave the head thru-hull open all the time (while on the boat; I always closed every thru-hull when I left).  And flushing was as simple as pushing a button.  On all my boats I always minimized holding tank usage by "dry flushing" #1 and only wet flushing #2.  On the Lavac "dry flushing" is accomplished by flushing with the seat up.  Since the bowl was dry most of the time I would add a little water with the shower sprayer before going #2 which improved the evacuation of the bowl.  If you want more info shoot me an e-mail and I'll see if I can get some pictures from the new owner.

[Ted Pounds]

John,
I got the same thing when I used the search box at the top of this page.  However, if you click on the search tab (below and to the left of the search box) you will get a page that does a more comprehensive search.  Lavac will bring up about a half dozen posts I made in the past.